There was no hell.No heaven.
Not even a world.
Only a cold so ancient it seemed to precede life itself.
It wasn't pain that woke him.
It was the absence of everything that should have been there.
No light. No warmth. Not even the sound of his own breathing.
Kael opened his eyes to a formless gray world. The air was neither freezing nor burning, yet his body shivered. A shiver that did not come from the skin—but from deeper within.
A chill of the soul.
So this is Hell?
The thought slipped from his throat before he could restrain it. A hoarse, disembodied murmur.
— Yes.
The answer struck clean and sharp.
A calm voice. Thana's.
— But not the heart of Hell. You're at the edge. The Limbo.
He blinked, as though the gesture would help him understand what he was seeing. Or hearing.
He wanted to answer, but another thought slid in before words could form.
— Why… are you here?
It wasn't an accusation. Not even a spoken question. It was a mixture of surprise, doubt… instinct.
Thana didn't answer right away.
A beat. Then another.
Something was off.
The silence stretched, heavy with a new tension between them—not hostile, but… altered.
— I don't know exactly what happened, she finally said. I didn't choose to come here.
Her voice wasn't confused. Just… restrained.
— Something drew me. Or pulled me. Perhaps even… summoned me.
She let silence linger.
— But I think I understand why. As long as you were on Earth, I could maintain our bond at a distance. Weakly, but enough.
Another beat.
— But now, Kael… you've changed worlds. So I had to follow. To enter your body again. There was no other path.
A faint smile curved her lips. Almost involuntarily.
He didn't answer. Not right away. But the smile was there.
The kind of smile one tries to hide, even in the dark.
Thana was with him. And despite everything he had seen, despite this broken world, that voice… it mattered.
He opened his mouth to speak.
Then the shock struck.
A sharp, searing pain, as if his veins had contracted all at once.
His heart raced.
His lungs burned, as though they'd been filled with acid.
And before he could form a word, he coughed up blood.
Thick. Dark. It didn't come from his throat, but deeper.
Something inside had ruptured.
No time to understand. No time to think.
That pain left no room for anything else.
— Kael!
Thana's voice cracked like a whip.
He collapsed to his knees—or perhaps simply fell without realizing it.
— Damn it… Thana growled. I forgot…
Her anger wasn't aimed at him.It vibrated with harsh self-reproach.
— You've never been exposed to an atmosphere saturated with Magia…
Her words came fast, pitched in cold urgency.
— And unlike other humans, your flame is already active, anchored in your body. The Magia begins to circulate on its own, without your control. But at this density… it's the first time. Your inner system can't keep up. It's overflowing.
She stopped. Just for a heartbeat.
Then did something she had never done.
Not even before.
She unleashed her own black Magia into Kael's body—not to give him more, but to expel the atmospheric Magia, the unstable flood burning him alive.
A brutal method. A gesture she had never used on anyone.
Not even Lyana.
— Hold on, she said, cupping his face with both hands.
Her tone had shifted. Lower. Direct. Almost… human.
— Stay with me. I'm sorry… but this is going to hurt. Badly. You have to endure.
Their faces were inches apart.
And without warning, she opened her mouth and screamed.
A scream that wasn't human.A Banshee's cry.
But no sound came out.
Only a dense, writhing black mist burst from her throat and plunged into Kael's at a terrifying speed.
He tried to pull back. His body, by reflex, tried to flee.
But Thana didn't move.
Her eyes locked on his, unwavering.
She held him still.Because in that instant, the slightest interruption could kill him.
And then… Kael felt it.
The black mist forced into his airways, plunged into his lungs, and seeped through every channel of his body.
It wasn't pain. Not like before.It was… a presence.
Dense. Cold. Absolute.
But familiar.
It was Thana's Magia. The same he had already endured, already integrated, during their first connection.
Except this time, it invaded everything.
It traced paths through nerves, veins, subtle meridians.And with every sweep, it drove out the unstable remains of the ambient Magia.
Not reinforcement. A purge. An inner cleansing by force.
Kael felt the pressure ease. His lungs loosened. His heart found a steadier rhythm.
And once the inside was emptied… the black Magia did not withdraw.
It stayed.
It settled.
Filling his inner reserves. Occupying the voids.
No need for conversion.This Magia was already aligned.
Thana slowly released her hands.
— Now, listen carefully, she said calmly. From here on, it's you.
Kael was breathing again. Strained, but real.
— You're going to learn to block the ambient Magia in portions. Stop it from flooding you all at once. You'll purify it slowly, in your heart, then convert it. And repeat.
Her gaze locked onto his.
— Until it becomes instinct.
She stayed silent a moment longer, as if to ensure he'd absorbed her words.
Then she added, softer:
— I know it's easier said than done. But I'll stay here. As long as it takes. We're not in a hurry.
She lifted her eyes, surveying the space around them.
— Better to lose half a day here… than your life later.
Kael gave a weak nod. He couldn't speak yet.But he understood. And more importantly, he could feel his body… responding again.
Thana continued, her tone turning technical:
— You have to start by isolating the ambient Magia. Don't try to control it all. Cut off a portion. A zone of your body. Any zone. And seal it. Close it as if you were holding your breath in a single muscle.
Kael closed his eyes.He visualized. His left arm. Then the shoulder. Then his flank.
A spark.
Thana nodded slowly.
— Good. Now feel the Magia inside. It isn't pure. It's too dense, too… foul. You need to draw it down. Bring it to your heart.
Kael trembled. His breath hitched for an instant.
But he did it.
Slowly, he dragged that unstable mass toward his chest. He could feel every resistance, every point of friction.
— Let your heart purify it, Thana whispered. Don't force it. It knows what to do.
And he obeyed.
A pulse. Then another.
The Magia shifted.It became fluid. Natural. Alive.
— Good.
Thana's voice was steadier now.
— Now send it back. To where it came from. Let it circulate. This is your body. It must obey you.
And he did.Again.
Then once more.
And again.
Until finally…
— … Impossible, Thana breathed.
She wasn't speaking to him. But to herself.
Kael had just completed four full cycles. No breaks. No errors.
— You took that in as if you'd always known it.
He opened his eyes. His gaze was clearer. More grounded.
And this time, he managed to speak.
— I didn't know it. I felt it.
Thana didn't answer.She watched him, motionless, but her eyes no longer shone with calm.
They seemed… unsettled.
— Don't move, she said at last.
Kael frowned.
— What…?
Thana tilted her head. Very slowly.
— Something just shifted behind us.
He barely turned his eyes. Just enough to see.
And what he saw…
It wasn't a figure.Not an enemy.
Just a mist.
Thick.
Living.
And already stretching toward them.